Kansas City Temple!

The Kansas City Temple open house was through the month of April.  There was over 90,000 people who went through the temple.  On April 11, 2012 Christa, Michael, Marty, Laurie, Matt, Katie, Sarah, Landon, and I went through it for the first time. We went through the tour with some non-members.  There remarks of the temple were "peaceful" and "beautiful."  I loved hearing there questions.  I hope they had a positive experience and contacted the missionaries. May 5, we attended the cultural celebration in downtown.  When President Monson came out, everyone clapped!  I love that man.  He was very excited to be there and humored us at the same time.  We sat three or four rows up and to the left of him. Some of the highlights of the performance was Sarah performed.  She was a cute little pioneer, Kenneth Cope sang, and the tornado that destroyed Joplin was highlighted.  The youth in that stake gave such powerful testimonies of how even though they were left with nothing, they still had the gospel.  I think everyone in the audience was choked up. The neatest part was as we were exiting, there in the hallway was President Monson.  He was shaking the youth's hands and congratulating them.  It was so neat to be so close to him.  The next day, May 6, was the temple dedication.  My dad was able to get us tickets to be inside the temple for the second dedication session!  We arrived an hour early and sat in our seats anxiously waiting for President Monson.  The poor man had a boot on his leg and later joked, "Elder Holland, what did I do to my foot?"  Jeffrey R. Holland replied something to the effect that he had hurt his toe. Elder Holland gave a beautiful message how this temple is one of the three temples that is so important to our history.  He discussed during trials we need to have faith and keeping on enduring.  He related us to Joseph Smith's experience in Liberty Jail and how the prophet suffered but that place later became his temple.  He stated that if we were to look at others realize they are in trouble or struggling, we would treat them differently and be a friend.  I'll never forget that day.  This past Friday we went to the temple with my parents and I love the peace you fill when you are in the Celestial Room.